Floridata Article

Longleaf Pines

Longleaf pines have large cones.

Over Christmas holiday break, our kids and grandkids came to visit and we
took everyone on a walk on a nature preserve near our house. I pointed out
the various plants as we walked along the trails, as I am wont to do.

I showed them the longleaf pines (Pinus
palustris) (also known as southern yellow pine) growing there and
how their growing habits make them more tolerant of frequent fires. Unlike
other pines, they start out with a grassy stage for a couple of years when
they develop a deep root system. If a fire passes during this stage, they
only lose that year's needles and can easily start growing again. Once they
start growing vertically, they grow quickly (up to five feet a year!) and
do not put out any side branches for a year or more. Again, if fire passes
through, they have only topknots of needles and don't provide much ladder
fuel for the fire to climb higher. Their buds are covered with a dense layer
of white hair, and their bark is thick. When they finally produce side branches,
they are shorter than branches of other pines and point upward. Most
other pine seedlings grow into a pyramid shape, like Christmas trees with
broad, horizontal lower branches.

Several young longleaf pines growing in an open sandy forest.

Young longleaf pines can grow up
to five feet a year to keep their tops, where new growth occurs, above passing
ground fires. With no branches to ignite, a dense covering on its buds, and
a thick-barked trunk, a tree this size might just lose its needles in a fire
and then continue to grow soon after.

A longleaf pine forest that has experienced periodic ground fires will have
a lovely park-like feeling with a wealth of interesting undergrowth that would
be crowded out in a weedier environment. This environment is important for
many species of Florida's wildlife including the endangered red cockaded woodpecker.

These pines are a good drought-tolerant choice for urban landscapes because
of their fast growth and their narrow habit. Also their deep root system provides
more wind-resistance than other pines. If you have a sandy, sunny spot on
your property, plant some of these interesting native pines.

The grass stage of a longleaf pine growing on our septic drainfield. It's
been growing for more than a year and I thought it was a grass or a rush.

How Grassy is the Grass Stage?

What I realized after our Christmas walk is that a dark green grassy plant,
which had been growing on the side of our septic drainfield mound* for more
than a year, was a longleaf pine. Finding it there surprised me because most
of the pines in the immediate vicinity are loblollies (P. taeda). I
wasn't on the lookout for longleaf pines in my yard and the grassy stage really
did look like a grass or a rush. I transplanted it to a sunny, sandy spot
in the front meadow. I'm not sure the transplant will take because I didn't
want to dig a deep hole into the drainfield to get all of its roots, but we
couldn't leave it there. (Update: This pine was slow to get started, but it
has survived and has grown to about 5 feet tall in 2014.)

I hope that while you are out in the yard working on gardening projects that
Mother Nature will provide you with some surprises, too. If she does, let
me know. Happy gardening in 2009!

Resources:

*We have let the septic drainfield mound on the side of our back yard become
a meadow, but we remove all the trees that sprout because their deep root
systems will damage the drainfield. Since it's a drainfield, it was built
with sandy soil to achieve the best drainage. This is produces a harsh, desert-like
environment and the irrigation necessary to keep turf grass healthy is excessive.
The previous owner had planted the mound with St. Augustine turf grass that
did not do well at all, but other more drought-tolerant plants do better and
it's the perfect environment for longleaf pines. Go to
the meadow page
to see how our meadows have developed over the last four years.

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